Since 1996 a group of expert psychologists conducted annual training courses on road safety education in middle and high schools, in Northern Italy. The aim of these courses was to develop in the children a safe "life style" not only in the road safety field, but also in other common dangerous life situations. The aim of psychological intervention is twofold, one is to have the adolescents become aware of the road safety rules and thus minimise tragic consequences; the second is to have them learn about their physical safety and the adverse consequences of their misbehaviour on themselves and others. This program strongly emphasises that this level of road safety awareness needs to be achieved not through punitive methods and sanctions, but through the development of personal and social responsibility of road safety awareness. To confront adolescents with these arguments is not easy. The actual cultural models are very often at variance with safety behaviour, and moreover adolescents often engage in high risk behaviours and tend to seek dangerous situations where they can prove themselves. Traditional programs of road education are only related to the abstract knowledge of the road safety regulations. The acceptance and internalisation of these rules are usually superficial or often rejected. Therefore we are developing a specific method that not only involve the youngster, but also will make him/her feel the master of his own formative process. In particular efforts have been made to improve constantly an up-to-date questionnaire meant to collect all the information, beliefs and attitudes of the adolescents about road safety. For the covering abstract see ITRD E122795.
Abstract